Yes, Allegra, thank you. We should be hearing back from Paddy soon; she's been training a new staffer. Both her mom and she have had a really rough winter when it comes to colds/flu - I hope that's finally over and they're okay. How have you been doing?

Btw, the Judge Judy quote was for Donald Trump. I truly feel honored to be among the hundreds of thousands of those whom he ignores.

"I would like an abundance of peace. I would like full vessels of charity. I would like rich treasures of mercy. I would like cheerfulness to preside over all." - St. Brigid of Kildare

I am doing okay. I started my 40th year of work on May 1 and my office took me out as a celebration. I got a plaque signed by our deputy minister for our Department and get to choose a gift. I chose an updated Fitbit. Also, I turned 60 in April.

You've been working all my married life, lady, and then some ! I know it's early days, but how do you like being 60? I'll turn 64 in October, and it doesn't seem like it - until my arthritis kicks up or I look in the mirror .

"I would like an abundance of peace. I would like full vessels of charity. I would like rich treasures of mercy. I would like cheerfulness to preside over all." - St. Brigid of Kildare

Allegra wrote:I feel the same as I did when I was 59. I don't feel any different.

I don't really either, which is not was I was expecting. But, I think younger than I did, when I was young. I felt so old and tired in my teens - it was a very stormy adolescence. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But if I could be any age again, I'd like 26 for about a decade .

"I would like an abundance of peace. I would like full vessels of charity. I would like rich treasures of mercy. I would like cheerfulness to preside over all." - St. Brigid of Kildare

Yes, I'm training a new colleague, and so far, things are working out well. Although it's in times like these when I realize the true scale of my work. She's been with us since early April, and we've barely scratched the surface. But by now, I'm already able to leave some of the writing to her, as well as some of the invoice verifications we do, as she's learning by doing. For the moment, I can only give the textbook stuff to her, and I still have to monitor her every step, but that's OK. I expect this to go on until the end of the year, at least. What's equally important: she seems to be a nice person, and so far we get along very well. Lots of laughter at the office these days. She's about my sister's age (mid-50s), and has no problem with a younger person (cough) telling her what to do.

Speaking of younger... 2018 marks the 31st year I'm doing this job at this very firm (I started at 18, and I'm 49 now). Hopefully I'll be able to spend the rest of my working days there.

Training the new colleague (who's doing 30 hours a week/6 hours a day) means I don't get much work done during the time she's around. That's fine with me, but I need to get my work done as well, so I have been working overtime for 6 weeks in a row now, and that's exhausting. Usually I get home around 7:30/8:00 pm. And I can tell you, I fall asleep as soon as my bottom hits the sofa. Fortunately, May has some bank holidays in store (Labour Day on May 1st, Ascencion Day on May 10th and Corpus Christi on May 31st), and we're making use of every single one).

My knee is still a problem, it keeps on giving way underneath me from time to time (usually at the most inconvenient times), and I guess sooner or later I'll have to pay the doctor another visit. I don't look forward to that.

My niece Larissa has finished High School and taken her A-Levels now. We've been choosing dresses for prom night (we had to come along at her insistance), and other random stuff. She's planning to train to become a medical technologist. School starts on September 1st, but her application for 2018 was probably too late (despite our warnings, she thought it'd be enough to apply 4 weeks before school's finished) and she'll have to bridge the time gap somehow - given that she's going to pass the eleven-plus, which takes place on May 17th. If she passes, she'll be listed on a waiting list for 2018, but it's more likely she'll start in 2019.

Larissa and her boyfriend have been a great help to mom and me. Because of my knee issues, I went for it (without asking mom first) and asked him if he could do the mowing this year, and he immediately agreed. He said it's no problem for him, he'd wanted to bring the topic up anyway. He actually needs half the time it takes me to get the garden mowed I pay him, of course - I don't want him to do the work for free, I know what a steep plague garden #1 is . Garden #2 is much easier to handle and I'll do this one. He was here on Friday, along with Larissa, her sister Lena and their mother, and we did an "overall attack" on both gardens. Larissa and Mom planted potatoes, My sister and Lena cleaned the balcony from top to bottom and Dominic and I mowed the garden. He mowed, I did the trimming. And after he was finished, he joined Mom and Larissa in garden #2 to help with the potatoes and weeding the paths. When I picked them up for lunch, I found a happy mom. I tell you: this girl hit the jackpot with him

The mouse hunter extraordinaire has opened the hunting season again. He already brought me several gift mice, and I'm glad for every night he doesn't wake me